Driving Home
by ShelbieJames
Summary: When her boyfriend screws her over, Bella must make the long drive from Forks to Dallas by herself. Along the way she runs out of money and her car breaks down. Will the hunky truck driver steal her belongings, or steal her heart? AH *sloowww updates!
1. Chapter 1

**Update 11-17-08 I just changed a few little things in this chapter to make it a T rating.**

**A/N This is my first Twilight story, so go easy on me!**

--

What is it about Christmas that makes men go completely bat crap crazy? Are they worried that buying presents equal commitment? It's not like all women demand a gift from them. I would have been happy just renting a damn movie. But instead, here I am in my piece of shit truck trying to make it safely from Forks, Washington down to Dallas, Texas. Two days before Christmas. In a snowstorm. Oh, and did I mention that I only have a quarter tank of gas?

Not only that, but I had no clue where I was at. I've been driving for about two hours now (yes, I know I should have filled up before I left, but when your boyfriend tells you he doesn't love you anymore, you tend to not think of such things), and all I can see are trees and road. Road and trees. Nothing, nothing, nothing and more nothing.

This is all Jake's fault. If he hadn't of had some stupid mid-life crisis, I would be home in my nice warm house, drinking hot freaking cocoa by the fire while he told me how much he loved me. Instead, he comes home from work and tells me that things just aren't working out and that he needs some time to "think".

Well, of course he needs time to "think". It's two days before a major holiday and three days after that slut Leah Clearwater rubbed her furry tits all over him at the town Christmas party.

Huh, what a coincidence…

He said that all he needed was a couple weeks to think things over and that he'll call me and let me know "if" I can come back home. Here's some news for that jerk: GO TO HELL! I may have been naïve, but I sure as heck am not desperate. He could have his "time" to think things over, he could have the rest of his life to think things over!

Twenty-six years old and I've already been screwed over by three different guys. Let's list the ways I'm an idiot, shall we?

First- Mike Newton. I was only sixteen at the time, so it wasn't really that heartbreaking. The idiot still should have had the decency to tell me he was going to sleep with Jessica Stanley at my birthday party.

Second- Jasper Hale. He was the first serious boyfriend. We started dating when I was seventeen and decided to go away to college together at graduation. Little did I know that when he went to his advisement appointment that he'd fall in love with his counselor. He was at least a man and told me before anything serious happened. I've met Alice and she was a sweet girl, I couldn't really be angry.

Well, yes I could.

And third- Jacob Black. Ughh… The reason I'm stuck driving a piece of shit truck twenty miles per hour in a the worst snowstorm in two years. Thank you karma. You really know how to sock it to me, eh?

I could see lights in the distance and I squinted trying to peer through the snowflakes. Thank god, I was coming up on a motel. Too bad for Jake, I still had credit cards of his. Bet he hasn't thought to cancel them yet.

All I had time at home to grab was a couple bags worth of stuff. I was wanting to get out of there before the storm got to bad. Or I punched him. You know, whichever came first. I was voting for the latter. The asshole couldn't have waited until the next morning so I could have drove in the daylight and maybe packed some more stuff. Oh well, things can be replaced. I didn't have very much stuff that held sentimental value. I had a necklace of my moms that was important to me, and a couple pictures of us before she died. My dad was an deadbeat so I didn't keep anything that reminded me of him.

I also took Jake's baseball that was signed by Babe Ruth. It was worth some pretty pennies. No use going broke because he kicked me out, right?

The Broken Bridge Motel was just a little hole in the ground just outside of Washington State. I'd never ventured downstate before, but I guess I wasn't really missing much. The old man behind the bar didn't even ask me what my name was. He just took my credit card and ran it through, no questions asked.

"Do you happen to know where the nearest gas station is?" I asked.

He looked up at me with eyes that said he did not give a flying flip if I was stranded on the side of the road. Slowly he pulled himself up and reached above him for a map. He opened it and halfheartedly pointed to a seemingly random spot on it.

I gaped at him, incredulous that someone could be so lazy. Quickly I thanked him and got the hell out of there.

I had room two. Hard to believe a gem like this place would not be sold out every night. The room was small and mildly damp, but anything was better than a thirty-year-old truck with hardly any heat coming out of it.

The shower was warm, at least. I stood in it for at least twenty minutes without doing anything. I wonder what Jake was doing right now. Probably Leah. She had her eye on him for months. She was pretty, I'll give her that, but she was also on a permanent period. He didn't have to tell me she was the reason this was happening, I'm not stupid. I could hear the whispered conversation behind the bathroom door this morning when he left for work. Three days that this was going on and he was ready to toss me out the door without a moments notice? What could he see in her that I did not have?

I was a college graduate, she was not. Granted, the college was a local community college and I graduated in nursing, but still, that has to count for something right?

She still lived at home with her parents, whereas I had owned my own house. I smirked, well that's one payment I won't have to worry about anymore. Casanova could take care of that one.

I had a steady job, she worked at the local Burger King. I had medical benefits and a retirement fund at the local hospital, which had to put me ahead of free french fries.

Shoot, I was going to have to call the hospital and explain why I would not be there for my next shift. Might as well tell them the truth, that my boyfriend kicked me out and the only place I had to go was halfway across the country.

And most importantly, I _loved_ Jake. Leah just wanted the chase. I was ready to marry him and make little dark haired babies with him. We had even talked about what our children's names were going to be.

The tears finally started coming when I thought of little Renee and Jacob Jr. I would never get to kiss their sweet little lips, never rock them to sleep, never run my fingers through their soft, black hair.

"Damn you, Jake!" I sobbed, curling up on the shower floor. Who really cared if I was giving myself herpes, letting my lady parts touch the nasty floor. At least the herpes would love me. They'd never leave me for some other slut.

I didn't cry when he told me to leave, I didn't even cry when I started my trip. But the thought of never having those perfect babies broke my heart into a million pieces. I wanted to be a mommy so bad that I could taste it. Growing up with no parents makes you want to make it up with your own kids.

Eventually all good things have to end and my tears finally ran out. I got out and put my only pair of pajamas on and brushed my hair. My phone beeped from the bed, signifying that I had a missed someone. A text message from Jake. My stomach cramped at what he might want. Cautiously, I opened it and pressed OK.

_You left all your shit, so I'm putting it in storage. The credit card is being shut off in the morning, so make sure you cut it up before you throw it away. And I want my baseball back. Jake._

I laughed, hollowly. Of course, I left all my stuff. You were right behind me begging me to hurry up and leave, you asshole. The credit card was going to be a problem, though. I didn't have enough cash on hand for gas and groceries to make it to Texas. I could always call my grandmother to transfer me some money, but she hated me with every ounce of her being, so I'm sure that was a no go. My friend, Angela, would send me money in a heartbeat, but I hated that since she had just had a baby and would be off work for a few more weeks.

Angela had been my best friend in high school. Before I started dating Jasper, we had planned to move to Los Angeles and work crappy jobs for a few years, saving up enough money to travel. By the time I realized Jasper was going to leave me for a complete stranger, she had already been accepted to a college in Dallas. We've stayed in contact the best we could and she was the only person I knew who would take me in with no questions asked.

I fell into bed that night worrying about tomorrow and wondering how I was going to make it to Texas without having to walk.


	2. Chapter 2

**Update: 11-13-08 For everyone on their update list, this is not a new chapter. I just noticed some grammatical errors and wanted to fix them, because I'm compulsive like that. Chapter 3 was added today, though! Enjoy!  
**

**A/N Thank you to everyone that reviewed and added me to their alert list. I couldn't believe all the emails I had!**

**Just to clarify, I had someone ask why Bella was so OOC and that is definitely on purpose! I HATE her character in the books, I just want to slap her silly. The original Bella would have been an emotion wreck if Jacob had broke up with her, she wouldn't have been able to handle it. My Bella is more pissed than she is upset. That's why there were so much cussing last chapter. After she had her breakdown in the shower, some of that anger dissipated so she's calmer now.**

--

I woke up early the next morning and quickly opened up my blinds. The snow had finally stopped falling, thank god, but the ground was still covered in a thick blanket of it. At least they got the roads cleared, that should help a little. Checking my watch I saw it was only 6 am. I wonder if Jake had got around to canceling my credit cards yet.

I hurriedly got dressed and packed my bag up so I could leave as quickly as possible.

When I got in my car I drove as fast as I could to the nearest gas station. Before filling up I went inside and asked the cashier if he could check if my credit card worked. He ran it through and said it was accepted just fine. Grinning, I went back out to my truck and filled it up. At least I would have enough gas to make it for a little bit longer. Feeling my stomach growling, I also grabbed as much food and water as I could.

After leaving the gas station, I passed a Wal-Mart on my way out of town. Smiling evilly, I went inside and bought a new coat since I had left mine at home. The only clothes I had with me were the ones I was wearing. I bought a few new outfits and some toiletries like toothpaste, a toothbrush, soap and a hairbrush. I also bought a couple packs of underwear. No telling when I'd be near a wash machine again.

After I left I felt a lot better. I didn't have enough gas to get me to my destination, but I had the cashier give me a cash back of 100 so I had a little bit of a cash cushion.

I pulled back onto the highway and got ready for a day of driving. At least I had remembered to grab my purse on the way out. I kept my Ipod in it so I'd always remember where it was at. Watch Jake try to take that away, too. The bastard.

My phone beeped in the cup holder signifying I had a new voicemail. I pulled it up and sighed when I realized who it was.

_Bella? It's your grandmother, where are you? I called the house and Jake told me that you'd left in the middle of the night and he didn't know where you were. Whatever you're mad at him about you better get over it and beg him to take you back. You should know you can't do any better than him. Whatever you have to do, do it. I love you!_

Snorting, I hung up the phone and threw it in the seat beside me. My grandma adored Jake. He could do no wrong in her opinion. Well, his money could do no wrong in her opinion. Of course, he didn't mention the fact that HE threw ME out. He made it sound like poor, pitiful Jake was at home wondering where his horrible girlfriend was. I could tell grandma about Leah and her first words would be- Can't he keep her on the side and still be with you?

My phone immediately started ringing so I picked it up and looked at the caller ID. Ugh, Jake. I pushed ignore and started to put the phone back down. On second thought, I picked it up and turned it completely off. No use worrying about people who have no worries for me.

My grandmother has disliked me ever since I was born. It was set in motion when my mother married my father. He was from a lower class than my mother and grandma never let them forget it. When I came along it was made worse over the fact that Isabella had been the name of my grandma on my dads side. Sometimes I wonder if they named me that just to get back at her.

I guess it didn't matter now. Mom and dad were no longer here for her to torture. So she placed everything on me. I think the fact that I was with Jake actually made everything worse for me. She still hated me, but now she had a reason to force herself in my life since he came from money. All of a sudden she became Cecilla Murphy, loving grandmother. And I hated every second of it.

Jake loved her. He thought she was attentive and caring. I guess that should have been my first clue. I tried telling him how she had treated me growing up, but according to him I was "exaggerating" it all and that I should be more respectful.

Oh well. Jake's no longer here to make me feel guilty and as soon as I get settled somewhere I'm changing my number and no one from my past is getting the new one. I'm going to make a new start and invent a whole new me.

I laughed, bitterly. Yeah right. You can never escape your past.

--

I spent all day on the road, stopping only to take bathroom breaks when I absolutely had to. I had enough snacks and water in the car to last for a few more days, so I didn't need to stop and eat. I had to make a gas run late in the afternoon. There went 50 of my cushion. I decided against getting another hotel room. I needed to conserve all the money I could. My truck would do just fine. There was a restaurant sign up the road, so I pulled into the parking lot and parked as far away from the front door as possible. I had enough clothes to make a decent pillow. I fell asleep with chattering teeth. My coat was warm, but at 10 degrees outside, the inside of the car was unbearably cold.

Sleep that night was not kind to me. I woke up several times to stiff limbs and a sore jaw from the shaking.

Early the next morning I awoke to a tapping on my window. Confused and still heavy with sleep, I rubbed my eyes and looked around, not sure of where I was.

"Miss?" I heard an unfamiliar voice call. "Miss, are you ok in there?"

I could faintly see the outline of a person through my frosted windows. I tried rubbing them, but gave up and opened the door. Outside stood a man who was easily over 6 feet tall. His muscles were the size of my tires. I shrank back from him out of instinct and he laughed and backed up.

"Hey little lady! No need to be scared. I may be big, but I'm more of a "gentle giant"."

Trusting he was telling the truth, I exited my truck.

He smiled warmly at me, "I saw you sleeping in your truck and wanted to make sure you were ok. Mighty cold out here this time of year."

Nodding, I looked down at my feet, "I'm fine, sir. Thank you for checking on me. I was just to tired to find a motel last night."

His mouth opened and then immediately closed. I knew he didn't believe my lie, but he was to polite to call me on it. Pointing to the restaurant, which I noticed was actually more of a café, he asked, "Are you hungry? I sure would like to buy you breakfast to make up for startling you." I shook my head and took a step towards my truck. "Now, now, no excuses. Everyone's got to eat and I'll feel guilty all day if you don't let me make it up to you." He looked down at me with puppy dog eyes, "Please?"

I laughed at his poor excuse to look sad, "Well, alright. I guess I am a little hungry."

"Well what are we standing here for? I'm so hungry I'm surprised you can't hear my stomach from there." We went in and grabbed a booth in the back. Several of the customers waved hello to him as we passed.

"So do you live in town?" I asked, trying to make polite conversation.

He grabbed two cups from the counter and poured coffee in them for us before he answered, "I'm pretty much from every town around here. Not one wants to claim me and not one can keep me town long enough to tame me." He laughed at his own personal joke.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, confusion written on my face.

"I drive a semi through here. I've been on the road for the last eight years. What you would call home, I guess, is a little town in Eastern Georgia." He stuck out his hand. "I haven't properly introduced myself, my name's Emmett Cullen."

I shook his hand with a smile, "Bella Swan. Very nice to meet you."

The waitress came over and asked us what we wanted, "Hey there, Velma. Me and Miss Swan would like the biggest breakfast platter you got."

As she walked away, I looked at him with wide eyes. He laughed, "Don't worry. You look pretty hungry yourself and whatever you don't eat, I promise I'll finish for you." He rubbed his belly and winked. "Man's gotta keep up his strength, you know."

His face turned serious, "So Miss Bella. What brings you down here to this parts? You don't look like one of the regulars, if you don't mind me saying."

I took a drink of my coffee before answering. "I'm on my way to Texas to visit a friend." That was mostly true, I guess.

Once again, he didn't believe my lies. "And why were you sleeping in your truck?"  
I bit my lip, "I don't have enough money for a motel and my boyfriend canceled my credit cards."

"Well than he's an asshole, huh? What kind of a man takes away a woman's money in the middle of a blizzard?" His hands had balled up into fists in his anger.

"Oh don't worry, I ran them up before he canceled them." I winked at him. "I have a car full of junk food and clothes as payback."

Laughing, his hands unclenched and he relaxed again. "At least you found a nice, attractive man to take good care of you this morning. So you're headed to Texas? I'd offer to drive you there myself, but I'm headed down to Florida. I could give you my brother's number if you want. I think he's headed somewhere in that direction."

"Thanks, but I should have enough money to get there and I know my friend would send me some if I was desperate."

"At least let me give you my phone number so you can call me when you arrive safely. I'd feel better." He asked this without any deceit in his voice. He wasn't trying to hit on me, he was genuinely worried.

Smiling warmly, I agreed. By that time our food had arrived. My eyes just about bugged out of my head at the amount of food. Emmett laughed at my expression, "I told you, I'll be more than happy to finish off whatever you leave." He speared a hash brown with his fork and eyed it with lust, "Hello my pretties." He whispered before popping it in his mouth.

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Do you always talk to your food?"

"That potato gave it's life to feed me, I think it deserves some respect, don't you?" He answered, defensively.

Deciding just to go with it, I laughed and dug into my pancakes. He was right, I was hungry. After my pancakes I started in on my sausage links, then my hashbrowns, eggs and finally a bowl of biscuits and gravy.

Twenty minutes later, I threw my fork down and laid my head on the table. "I think I'm going to be sick." I moaned.

"Does that mean you don't want your bacon?" He asked, hopefully.

Groaning, I pushed the plate towards him. "I don't know how you do it, Emmett. Whatever your secret is, my hats off to you." I raised my head to watch him in wonder.

He was happily scraping my food off into his plate. He shoved two bacon strips in his mouth, "Mind over matter, my dear Bella. It's just telling your stomach ahead of time that's it's going to have a lot of visitors and that there's nothing it can do about it." He laughed at my expression. "It's good metabolism. My little sister is smaller than you and she could pack three of these away with no problem."

I shuddered to think of the havoc she could let lose if not controlled. That's all the world needs, an extra Emmett.

"What about your brother? Is he as big as you?"

He huffed, "Is that a fat joke?"

"No!" I assured him. "I mean, I can tell, it's all muscle. I was just wondering if he was built like you were."

He snorted, "Nah. He's a lightweight. He probably couldn't even have finished those pancakes. His genes come more from our mother. He's my height, but probably not much bigger than you are." He took the last bite of food off his plate and threw his fork down. "I think I need a cinnamon roll. You want one?"

I shuddered and shook my head no, not daring myself to speak for fear of puking up my breakfast on him. He got up and went up to the counter to get one. While I was waiting for him to return, I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and turned it on. I might as well put Emmett's number into my phone because I'd lose a piece of paper. My phone beeped to tell me I had messages. The first thing it told me was that I had three new texts. I went to my inbox and saw they were all from Jake, so I deleted them without reading them. Next on the screen was my voicemail inbox. Six new messages. Wonder who they were all from?

I called it since there's no way to delete them without starting them. The first four were from Jake-

_Bella? Where the hell are you? I've tried to call you for the last few hours. Call me back._

_Alright Bella, you've had your little temper tantrum. Get your big girl panties on and deal with it. Leah wants to know if you're still angry. She'd like to be friends with you._ **Oh my fucking god, is he serious? **_I still want my baseball back._

_Your grandmother has called me eight times today. The least you can do is call her back. After everything you've put her through she doesn't deserve this. She's just an old woman. Grow up, Bella._

_I'm getting ready to cancel the credit cards, so please make sure you cut them up before you toss them. _

The next one was from the hospital where I worked.

_We regret to inform you, Miss Swan, that your job in the ER has been terminated. We had a phone call from a Mr. Black who told us that you had left the state. While we hope that everything in your personal life is okay, we cannot keep an employee who does not give us notice of departure. Thank you._

Shoot! I had forgot to call them and tell them I was leaving. Of course Jake would be sweet enough to call for me. He wanted everyone to know that he was the innocent party in all this and mean, old Bella had left him.

The last message made me chuckle, a little.

_Goddamnit Bella! Five hundred dollars? You ran my credit card up five hundred fucking dollars? What is wrong with you? I swear to god you are going to pay this back, every damn penny. You need to get a life and stop depending on me. AND I WANT MY FUCKING BASEBALL BACK!_

Oh yes, that was worth it.

Emmett came back then and asked what was so funny. I told him that my ex had just found out about the balance on the credit cards and was not happy.

"Oh well. The asshole deserves it. What kind of a man does that?" He shook his head, "I'd feel a lot better if you'd let me call my brother and let him take you. You can always take your truck somewhere to park it. I don't think you'd get enough money out of it to even warrant selling it."

I poked him in the chest, "Have a little respect, it's an antique! And isn't vintage all the rage these days?"

Grimly, he said, "I'm surprised your truck even made it through the snowstorm. It needs to be junked."

"Well I'm not going to do it, I love my truck." I said, proudly.

He laughed and swallowed his cinnamon roll in two bites, "Yeah, yeah. I'll let this one go. But call my cell phone at 555-0987 if you run into any trouble."

Promising I would, I gathered my things and stood up to leave. Emmett walked out to my truck with me to say goodbye. "I hope you get to where you're needing to go, Miss Bella. It sure did make my day to meet a fellow traveler."

I smiled and hugged him goodbye, "Thank you again for breakfast. Maybe we'll run into each other again someday."

Heading back onto the highway, I hoped that the rest of my travel would be this easy. In a few more days I would be in Texas starting my new life.

--

**A/N How many people wanted the window tapper to be Edward? :D**

**Patience, my dears. Patience.**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, yeah… I'm pretty much the worst updater in the world. I'm sorry. I run my own business and with Xmas coming up, I've been so busy. And I have like a zillion hobbies. I'll try not to let it go this long next time! I apologize for it being so short, I'll try and make the next one longer.**

**And as always, thanks so much to everyone that reviewed and added me to alerts!**

The highways were clear throughout the next day, but by nightfall, the snow had started again. I could barely see through the windows so I was forced to pull off into a motel parking lot. The cold in my car was manageable until about eight at night and I was forced to go inside and rent a room. After filling up with gas twice already and the motel bill, I was down to $45 in my pocket. That was definitely not enough to get by.

I briefly considered calling Angela to ask for help, but I was already going to impose on her and I did not want her to feel responsible for sending me money, too.

The motel was dirty and smelled faintly of urine. At least it was warm, I guess. I refused to pull the bed sheets back, so I just laid on top of them. I closed my eyes and debated whether this was worth it. Maybe Jake had realized what a horrible decision he had made and wanted me to come home.

I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and powered it up to check my messages. The screen said I had four new text messages and seven voice mails. The texts were basically just a repeat of yesterday- Jake just wanting to know where I was and that I needed to call him. The first three voice mails were from friends of mine that had heard I was missing. They were worried about me. That made me chuckle a little. Those "friends" were girls from work who had never given me the time of day unless Jake was there with me. They probably just wanted to look good for him by pretending to care about me.

The last three were from my grandmother's lawyer. He said that if I did not call my grandmother by noon tomorrow that she was going to send out a private investigator to bring me home. Mr. Franklin, he said his name was, informed me that my grandmother was afraid that I was a suicide risk after what happened and she was petitioning the court to become my legal guardian. If I came home peacefully, I could talk to a therapist until I was no longer at risk, but if I did not come home of my own accord, she was going to hire the investigator to find me and I would be enrolled in a suicide wing at the hospital.

I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to laugh or cry. She knew I was not at risk for suicide. She just wanted to keep control over me and was angry that I had left without telling her.

Groaning, I turned my phone off and threw it against the wall. This day was just getting better and better.

So much for Jake deciding he was made a stupid decision and regretted it. I still don't understand what was going on in his mind. I could understand that he had fallen in love with someone else and wanted to be with her, you can't help who you fall in love with, I knew that. It was just the way he did it that hurt. He did not have to ambush me with it.

The Jake I fell in love with would have done everything possible not to hurt me.

Flashback

"Nurse Swan? We have a patient coming in that has a minor head wound. The scalp is cut and needs stitches. Can you handle it?" I rolled my eyes at the woman in front of me.

"I'm pretty sure I can handle some stitches, Amy. Don't worry."

Hesitating, she put the file in my hand. "Are you sure? The last time you had to do stitches, you fainted on top of a seven year old boy."

I jerked the file from her, "Yeah, well, he didn't have to squeeze the wound open and make blood squirt all over me!"  
Huffing at her, I turned away and walked into the exam room that my patient was in. I pulled the curtain aside and gasped.

The man on the table heard me and turned to look up at my open mouth. Blushing, I hoped he thought the gasp was over his wound and not his looks.

He was tall, dark and handsome. The kind of man women dream about. He was at least 6"2, long black hair, light brown skin and brown eyes that were so dark they almost looked black. The only thing marring his perfect good looks was the blood matted to the side of his head, running down his cheek.

Nurse Swan took over Blushing Bella and I immediately rushed in and started gathering my supplies. As I had my back turned, I heard a cough.

"Do you need something, sir?" I asked politely.

He laughed, "An intact head would be nice. But actually, I was going to introduce myself. My name's Jake. Jake Black."

I turned around and smiled at him, holding out my hand. "Bella Swan."

His hand was warm and rough feeling. Behind my mind screaming, 'Oh my god, the sexy man is touching you!', I pondered what sort of a job he must have had. Carpenter? Electrician? Something that had to do with his hands.

"So, Miss Swan, what's the prognosis? Am I gonna make it?"

I put on my best serious face, "Hmmm… I'm not sure. You do have a life-threatening head wound up there."

His smile left his face, "Really?"

Laughing, I put my hand on his shoulder, "No, Mr. Black. That's what's called a joke."

A smirk appeared on his lips, "That's also what's called an unfunny joke." He put his hand over mine, "I think you owe me after that."

Swallowing hard, I pulled my hand out from under his. "And what did you have in mind, Mr. Black?"

"I think you owe me a cup of coffee after you get done fixing me up. And please, call me Jake." He gave me a warm smile and I instinctively smiled back.

And so it begins.

End Flashback

I woke up the next morning, feeling freshly revived. Remembering all the good times we had together made me hate him a little less for breaking my heart. It was only once he started his new job that things had started to go downhill.

Frowning, I looked at my cell phone. It was also after he started making friends with my grandmother. She could not really force me to go back, could she? I did not think I was a suicide risk. I mean, I felt like my life was over, but I had no intentions of quickening it myself.

Shaking my head, I gathered my clothes together and ate a quick breakfast of cheese crackers and a bottle of lukewarm water.

After I took the key back down to the office, I threw my bag into the cab of the truck and laid my head on the cold steering wheel. I didn't want to call my grandmother, but I also didn't want her to send someone after me like I was a child. Oh what difference did it make? She'd send someone regardless of whether I called or not. My mother may have kowtowed to her, but I wasn't going to make the same mistake. I was a grown women, dammit.

I put my keys in the ignition and turned them to start it.

Nothing.

Not even a sputter.

I turned them again.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" I screamed, slamming my hands on the wheel.

I felt I was allowed to have a freak out moment, so I indulged myself. I screamed all the obscenities I could think of, punched the steering wheel, slapped the seats and beat my head on the headrest.

After I got it out of my system, I thought about all my options.

I could call a mechanic and see if he could fix it. But I knew that option was out of the question because my truck was abnormally old. Jake told me he was surprised it had lasted this long and to not be surprised if it broke down on my somewhere. Stupid always right Jake.

Call Angela and ask her to send me some money for a taxi or bus to take me the rest of the way. But that would be hundreds of dollars either way and I didn't think there would be a bus stop in this Podunk town.

My last option. The one I swore would never happen.

Sighing, I turned my phone on and dialed the numbers I told myself I wouldn't do.

After ringing a few times, he picked up, "Hello?"

I closed my eyes, "Hello, Emmett?"

--

**You all know what this means? This means our Edward is coming up soon! Let's all do the Happy Edward Dance! **

**And as always, reviews make me mucho happy! I won't do the whole "I will not update unless I recieve 137 reviews by 8 pm" bullcrap, but they do make me more inspired to write if I know someone's waiting for it.**

**xoxo  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Wow! You guys blew me away with all the reviews and alerts I received for last chapter. As promised, here is the next one less than a week later!**

**Just so everyone knows, I feel stupid working the name Twilight in my story somewhere, but I thought it was really the only name I could choose to place ExB's first meeting. **

**To Larkin, since Bella is a legal adult, her grandmother cannot control her life legally, but if she makes her out to be a suicide risk, she could become her legal guardian and force her to come home. Case in point, Britney Spears. That's not who I based this story on, of course, but her situation is similar.**

**To Edwards-a-beefcake, no the Cullens are not wealthy in my story. Edward and Emmett both are truck drivers so they really don't make much. I'm not sure if I'm going to have all the family in my story or not, but if I do they'll all be middle-class, too. I've already had Jasper and Alice in the beginning and they're not going to reappear anywhere else.**

**I'm going to change the rating of this from an M to a T, since Bella decided she was going to calm down after the first chapter and there's really not been any bad language since. So if you wonder why you got an update for chapter 1 from me, just ignore it. I'm just planning on changing the words a little bit. Not enough to change the story any.**

--

What a lousy, miserable, good for nothing day this has turned out to be. The mornings only just started and I was already wishing I was in bed. Preferably with a bottle of scotch. My grandmother was threatening me with taking me home against my will. And I knew she'd do it, too. She was not a force to be reckoned with. For a little old lady, she sure was spry.

Back to my moping- my truck broke down in the middle of freaking nowhere. At least it died a peaceful death. I loved that old hunk of metal. She deserved a proper sendoff, not being abandoned in some seedy motels parking lot. I shuddered to think of all the vile things that have gone on in these rooms.

And to top it all off, I was just about broke and starving. Not a good way to start my day.

"Hello? Yes, this is Emmett? Who is this?" Emmett's voice brought me out of my daydream and back to reality.

"Hey there, big guy. Um, this is Bella. Do you remember me? We met at the diner?" I asked, nervously. Oh god, what if he only offered his number to be polite and I'm making a fool of myself?

"Miss Bella? Why hello there, pretty lady. I was hoping you'd call me. What's shaking? Are you alright?"

"Well, actually my truck just broke down. I'm stranded god knows where with practically no money and no way to get to where I'm going." I hinted.

"You're shitting me. Where are you at?" He sounded upset.

"I'm not sure. I think I'm in Kentucky, maybe? I haven't really paid the best attention to the road signs. I figured if I headed southwest, I would get there eventually. I'm at a motel. I think it's called the Twilight Motel."

He paused for a second, "I think I know where that is. You should be outside Louisville about twenty miles. I ran through Kentucky a few months back and stayed there. Bella, I'm going to call my brother to pick you up, okay? I know he's headed in your direction, but I don't know how far away he is. Are you going to be alright until then?" He sounded worried, he was to sweet to me.

"Emmett, I really hate to put you and your brother out…"

"Nonsense, Bella. Any friend of mine is a friend of his and I know he'd be more than willing to help a pretty girl get away from her no good ex-boyfriend. You'll be doing us a favor by letting us help you."

Sighing, I slumped my shoulders in defeat. "Thanks Emmett. I'll be fine until then. I'll see if the manager will let me have my key back until he gets here."

"Thatta girl. You just sit tight and I'll call Edward. If he's more than a day away from you, I'll call you back and let you know. Otherwise, just assume he'll be there by nightfall."

"Thank you Emmett. You have no idea how grateful I am."

"Don't worry about it. Bye Miss Bella." He hung up.

I put my phone down and sighed. I wasn't sure if the sigh was happy that I had help coming or sad that at the realization that I was throwing myself into the real world headfirst.

The inside of my truck was near freezing, so I forced myself to get out and go back to the motel's office. The man behind the counter raised his eyebrow at me, wondering what I was doing back.

"Change of plans. I'm going to have to stay for a few more hours, but I should be gone by the end of the day. Can I have my key to my room back until then?"

He grinned and pointed at the sign on the wall. _ No Pay No Stay _it read.

I groaned and dug through my purse. I pulled out my last two twenties and held them out to him, "This is all the money I have. Is it enough or are you to full to accommodate me?" Why was the world full of sarcasm these days?

His eyes lit up as he grabbed the money from me and stuffed it into his pocket. He threw the key at me and turned back to the mini TV he was watching.

I shuffled my way back to my room and unlocked it as quickly as possible. I was cold and hungry, two things that did not go well together. Not to mention, I was cranky beyond words.

Without a doubt, I was going to be in for a bit of a wait. I knew there was no way Emmett's brother, Edward, would be close to me. My luck designated that he be at least a few hours away. I pulled one of my new books out (thanks Jake!), and settled in to read for a little bit. I was halfway through the book when I pulled myself from it to look at the time. It was after one in the afternoon and my stomach rumbled to get my attention. I looked through my bag and saw I only had a couple bags of chips and one bottle of water left. I ate a bag of Frito's slowly, trying to appease my stomach without wasting any of my precious food.

After I had eaten the chips and refilled my water bottle, I laid on the bed and threw my arm over my eyes. What was I thinking doing this? Emmett's brother could be a rapist and murderer for all I knew.

I briefly contemplated calling Emmett back and telling him to forget the whole thing, but I forced myself not to. It was either die alone in this crap shot motel or possibly die at the hands of a serial killer. Either way ends the same. Might as well have the adventure before the death.

I used to have the adventure with Jake. Before he was Mr. Black, he was my Jake. My best friend, my boyfriend, my life. Once we saved up enough money to spend the weekend skiing in Colorado. I had never been on a plane before and he knew I was scared so he held my hand the entire way, whispering that we would be all right and that he loved me. And I believed him. Sure, I ended up falling down a hill and sprained my ankle, which meant I spent the rest of the trip at the hotel, but that wasn't the point. The point was, Jake and me made our own adventures.

Now I was making mine.

Without him.

Groaning, I rubbed my face with my hands. I did not want to think about him. I did not want the memories. From now on, I was going to make my own memories without him. The sado-masochistic side of me said maybe I did not deserve him. But the longer I was away from him, I wondered if maybe he didn't deserve me. I would never have broken his heart like that. Even on the off chance that I did not want to be with him anymore, I still would have broken it to him gently. We could have been friends when all was said and done. The way it was looking now, I didn't think we'd ever even see each other again.

Unless my grandmother finds me before I can find a safe place to stay.

All the daydreaming and intense thinking must have put me to sleep because the next thing I knew, I was dreaming.

I was in a tiny room, dressed all in white. There were no windows on the walls, but there was a door in front of me. I could see Emmett peeking through the crack. He was yelling something at me, but I could not understand it. I think he was telling me to run, but I could not be sure.

All of a sudden, he was pushed back and my grandmother entered, followed closely by Jake. They were smiling at me and telling me everything was going to be fine now.

I tried to back away from them and I could not move. That was when I looked down and realized I was not dressed in white at all.

I was enclosed in a white straight jacket.

--

I jerked awake and wiped my arm over my sweaty forehead. The clock on the wall read 3:30 pm. I had only been asleep for a couple hours.

I wondered what had woke me up when I heard it.

Someone was knocking on the door.

Warily, I got up and unlocked it, keeping the chain locked.

The man outside had his back to me and was glancing around the parking lot, looking for me I guessed.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

He turned around and smiled, "You must be Bella. Emmett sent me. I'm Edward, his brother."

--

**A/N Well I said Edward was coming up, buutt I didn't tell you how much he'd be in this chapter.**

**Yes, yes I'm mean. But at least I updated fast!**


	5. Chapter 5

_"Can I help you?" I asked._

_He turned around and smiled, "You must be Bella. Emmett sent me. I'm Edward, his brother."_

--

My eyes widened as I looked at the man staring in front of me. If perfection had a picture in the dictionary, this man would be it.

He was about six feet tall with green eyes. He was lanky, but not so skinny that you wanted to throw a sandwich at him. The shirt he was wearing was a brown button-up and he had the first two buttons undone so I could see just a hint of what was under it. And god, what I wanted to see what was under it. I haven't been so attracted to someone since the first time I seen Jake at the hospital. And even then, I don't think was a tenth of the dirty thoughts I had running through my head about this man.

I finally brought my eyes up to his hair. It was in perfect disarray, and I wasn't sure what the color was exactly. I thought it was a brown color, but when he moved and the light hit it I could see streaks of a red in it.

I realized I had been staring when he chuckled and moved away from the door. "I know you're worried, but I can assure you I have the best intentions at heart. Emmett said you needed a ride out west and I happen to be headed that way." He put his arms up in surrender. "I swear you have nothing to worry about."

Little did he know that I wasn't worried about him attacking me, I was more worried about ME attacking HIM.

I bit my lip and shut the door so that I could undo the bolt. I opened it back up and he flashed me another grin before sticking his hand out.

"Edward Cullen. Glad to meet you." His hand was covered in a fleece glove, but I got butterflies in my stomach from the touch anyway.

I gave him a small smile. "Bella Swan."

He rubbed his hands together, "Well now that that's out of the way, what do you say we get this show on the road? Can I come in to help you grab your stuff? If not, that's okay. I just don't want you to have to carry everything." I was a complete stranger and he was seriously trying his hardest to make me comfortable. Apparently sweetness ran in the Cullen family.

"I actually only have one bag in here with me. The other stuff is in my truck." I gave him the key and he went over to start cleaning it out.

When he walked away, I hurriedly ran into the bathroom to give myself a once over. My hair was frizzed from sleeping on the bed and my cheeks were burning in possibly the worst blush I've ever had. Maybe he assumed it was from the cold and not him being so near to me.

I ran my fingers through my hair and pulled a lip gloss out of my purse to try and fix myself up at least a little bit.

When I got outside, he had unloaded all of my bags onto the ground and was currently searching through the seats and floor. I dropped my bag next to the other ones and his head popped up.

"I've got all the big stuff. I was making sure you haven't dropped anything important." He brought his fist up to shake it towards me. "I found thirty cents. I'm considering it a finders fee." He grinned at me and I felt my heart jump into my throat. His smile only lifted up the right side of his face.

It was the hottest thing I've ever seen.

I coughed and mumbled something about it being okay. I'm surprised I can even remember my name at the moment. This was going to be a long few days.

Speaking of the trip, where was his truck at anyway? I looked around the parking lot and didn't find anything even remotely the size of a semi.

He must have noticed what I was looking for because he motioned down the road. "My girls to big to fit in here. I parked at the gas station up there."

With my bags all gathered together and Edward convinced that not a single item was left in my truck, he shut the door and grabbed all the bags to his chest. "Say goodbye to your truck, Miss Swan. You'll probably never meet again."

I frowned when I realized he was probably right. I ran my hand over the hood and waved goodbye at it sadly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Edward put a hand over his mouth to hide his laugh. I ignored him and continued saying goodbye to my beloved truck.

After I felt content with our ending, I turned back to Edward and grabbed a few of the bags from him. He frowned and tried to grab them back.

"I'm not a weakling." I said stubbornly to him. He shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the road.

We made it to the gas station where he said he parked his truck and I looked around at the seven or eight trucks also parked there.

"So, which one's yours?"

He pointed to a dark blue double-cabbed semi parked in the middle. "That's my baby." He smiled proudly at me.

I rolled my eyes, "I pat my truck goodbye and get laughed at, yet you call your semi 'baby' and it's all fine and good?"

"I'm a man. I'm supposed to love my truck. Girls are supposed to love puppies and diamonds and junk like that." My jaw dropped as he left me standing there to head towards his truck. He turned around and waved at me to follow him.

He smiled up at it, "This here's Lucy. Treat her right and we'll get along just fine."

I raised my eyebrow and looked at him, incredulously. "You're serious." It was not a question.

"Course I'm serious." He opened the passenger door and held his hand out to me. "Climb on in."

Biting my lip, I took his hand. He helped guide me up the steps and into the seat. He started throwing bags up at me so I grabbed a few and took them into the back. There was a small bed in the corner, an end table nailed to the wall and a mini-fridge. I did not know what to do with my bags, so I stacked them on the bed for now.

He had finished throwing the bags in and was climbing into the seat when I was done moving them to the back. I turned around to head back up front and ran into something hard and warm. His arms moved around me to steady me and I could hear him laugh softly.

"Sorry to frighten you. I wanted to see if you needed any help. Looks like you got it all." His voice was trying to sound steady, but I heard his breathing hitch.

"I'm sorry, I'm just abnormally clumsy." I replied, still enveloped in his arms. "I didn't know where to put my stuff, is the bed-" I swallowed at the word. "Alright for now?"

He jumped back from me, "Sure. Mi casa es su casa." He mumbled as he turned quickly for the front.

I frowned when he left me. Did I stink or something? I ran my hair under my nose. It smelled like my strawberry shampoo. I shrugged and headed back to the front seat.

He already had his seat belt on and was running his fingers through his hair as I sat down. He smiled hesitantly at me as he started the truck up. "Welcome to Cullen Company vehicles. Please keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times." He looked over at me and smirked. "That should be a problem if you keep running into stuff." The truck rumbled to life and he pulled out of the lot.

"So where exactly are you headed anyway?" He asked after a few minutes.

"Dallas. I have a friend that lives there. She doesn't know I'm coming."

He grimaced, "Dallas, eh? I have a stop to make there, but I have to head to a couple other places first. Is that okay? It will probably take a couple extra days."

I wasn't sure if the grimace was directed at me or at Texas in general. "That's fine. I'm pretty much at your mercy." Maybe that was not quit the best choice of words. Too many images running through my head of him exerting control over me. I decided to switch subjects. "I take it the Lonestar State isn't your favorite place?"

He snorted, "Yeah, you could say that." His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "A lot of bad memories." His face quickly broke out into a wide smile. "This time around I'll have a pretty girl with me, so it should be okay."

I looked down as he laughed at my appearing blush. "You know I'm going to keep saying stuff to you just to get your face all red again." I kept my face pointed at my lap, shameful of my emotions. "Hey now. I was just teasing you, Bella." He reached his hand over as if to push my hair away from my eyes, but stopped at the last moment and quickly brought his hand back to the steering wheel.

"Don't be embarrassed. Emmett told me you were fun to tease. I didn't realize you got upset over it. No more teasing, I promise."

I mentally groaned at the word teasing. What was this man trying to do to me? I was already picturing him naked, now he was naked and teasing me! How would I ever get through the next week?

The next couple hours passed by quickly and I somehow found a way to fall asleep in the seat. I don't remember what I dreamt of, but I hoped it wasn't anything to dirty since I was known to talk in my sleep. All to soon, I felt Edward shaking me awake.

"Bella." He whispered over me, softly. "Bella, honey, wake up. It's time to eat." My stomach instinctively growled a the word eat and he laughed at my traitorous body.

"Edward? What time is it?" I yawned.

"It's about six. I thought you might be hungry. You kept muttering something about 'no more chips and crackers' in your sleep."

"Ughh…" I still had my eyes closed, to tired to open them. I brought my hands up over my head to stretch. My back arched and I heard a sharp intake of breath. I quickly wrenched my eyes open to see Edward leaning over me, my chest practically in his face.

He closed his eyes and shook his head, leaning away from me. "S-so, if you're ready to eat, we're at the diner. I'll go on in and get us a seat." He jumped out the door and jogged his way to the diner.

"God Bella. Way to go, scaring the wits out of your only hope." I pulled my coat on and slowly made my way in. Edward was sitting in a booth talking happily to the waitress. She was looking at him with a hungry gaze and I felt jealousy rise up in my throat.

I mentally slapped myself, I had no right to feel anything for this man. For all I knew, he could have a wife and ten kids waiting on him at home. Hell, he could be gay!

The waitress didn't think he was into any other team, that was obvious. She laughed at something he said and put her hand on his shoulder. She leaned over and whispered something in his ear that earned a smile from him. He lifted his head up and caught eyes with me.

"Bella!" His expression was ashamed, like I had caught him doing something wrong. He stood up, almost pushing the woman out of his way, to come grab my arm. He mouthed _Save me, please_ to me and walked me back to the booth. The woman was still standing beside it staring at me in hatred.

Edward slid into the bench across from me. "Bella, this is Jessica. She's been my waitress here for the last three years. Jess, this is Bella. She's going to be traveling with me for awhile." He shot me a quick grin.

Jessica narrowed her eyes at me and I wondered if she was thinking of all the disgusting things she could do to my food. "What do you want to eat?"

Edward gestured at me to go ahead, "I always get the same thing."

I thought for a second, wondering how expensive the food was here. "I'll just have a grilled cheese and fries with a water, please." She huffed and walked away.

"What was her problem?" I asked a laughing Edward.

"She probably thought we planned that. I always order a grilled cheese with fries when I come here."

"Oh." I mumbled. Great, now we had stuff in common. I rather wished he was a jerk, it would make this a lot less sexually frustrating. He ran his hands through his hair again, something I realized was an unconscious movement on his part. I wondered if he did it when he was nervous, or all the time.

Jessica came back then and slammed my drink down so hard that a few drops splashed over the side.

"Sorry about Jessica. She's been like that since I started coming here. If the food wasn't good and cheap, I'd go somewhere else. It's kinda nice to come here with a woman. Maybe she'll get the hint that I'm not interested in her." He said sounding annoyed.

"She seems… nice?" I offered up.

He did his earth shattering half-smile and I about melted on my seat. "_Nice_ is not something you want to call Jessica. Trust me, she's ruthless. She's probably back there plotting ways to poison you."

I coughed the water I had been drinking back into my mouth.

"Are you alright?" He asked, coming over to sit beside me and pat my back.

I tried to hold up a hand to show I was okay, but the coughing finally subsided. Edward stayed beside me, his pats turning into gentle rubbing. He brought his other hand up to brush my hair away from my face.

"Better?" He asked, his voice soft.

I turned to look up at him. His forehead was bunched with worry and his mouth was set in a tight line. When my eyes landed on his, his expression softened. His eyes roamed over my lips and they parted all on their own, I swear.

Just as he was starting to lean closer, Jessica came back and threw our plates down.

I turned my head away and scooted closer to the wall. Edward quietly got up and moved back to his side of the bench. As I was grabbing the ketchup to squirt on my plate, he quickly snatched it and replaced it with his own plate. When I looked up, confused, he chuckled.

"Just in case."

--

**Sooo I am so completely in love with all of you. I had so many new alerts and reviews that I was seriously bouncing up and down. **

**I hope this chapter appeased all of you that keep asking where Edwards at. ******

**On a side note, does anyone know where you can download Rob's music? I have the two from the Twilight soundtrack, but I wanted some of his other music. I have heard a few songs that are okay, but I LOVE 'Broke' like you wouldn't believe. So, if anyone knows, I'd be ecstatic if you could tell me!**


	6. Chapter 6

"So where are you from, Bella?" Edward asked, taking a bite of his fries.

"Didn't Emmett give you my whole life story when he called?"

"Yeah, well I figured I'd ask you so I could hear the truth. Emmett equals exaggeration and embellishment. Our sister likes to say that his superhero name would be The Great Alliterator." He rolled his eyes.

I laughed at his portrayal of his brother. Even though I had only known Emmett for a few hours, he seemed to be the type of guy who liked to tell tall tales.

"Well I'm from a little town in Washington state. I was working at the local hospital as a nurse, but I had to quit when I left town. I'm heading to Dallas to spend some time with an old high school friend of mine." I wondered what else Emmett had told Edward.

He nodded thoughtfully and took a bite of his sandwich. Our table was quiet for the next few minutes as we chewed our food. Edward looked at me without speaking and I knew he was wondering if Emmett's explanation was true.

I ate my food, pretending not to notice his expression. If he was curious enough to ask, I would tell him the truth.

Taking a drink of his tea, he pushed his food away. "So what made you decide to pack everything up and head out to Texas all of a sudden?" Ahh, he's trying to trick me into telling him. He is a crafty one.

"Well, I'm sure Emmett filled you in on the gist of it all. My boyfriend decided it would be better if we were no longer together, so I had no choice but to leave."

His eyebrows pulled together in a frown. "So he basically kicked you out in the dead of winter with no place to go?"

"Umm, basically. Yeah…" Great, now he thinks I'm pathetic.

He pulled his wallet out and threw a handful of money on the table. "Looks like today's your lucky day then, Miss Swan. I'll take good care of you." He flashed me his half-smile and a wink before grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the diner.

"I could have paid for my own food, you know." I huffed at him when we got up to his truck.

"I know." He said simply, giving me a boost up into the cab. "But I didn't want you to."

He walked around and climbed up into his seat before giving me another smile. "So now that we're in this for the long haul, what do you say about getting to know each other a little better?"

What am I supposed to say to that? "Um, sure. What do you want to talk about?" I asked, nervously.

He was silent for a moment as he thought.

"Favorite color?"

I snorted out a laugh, "Green."

"Favorite movie?"

"Romeo and Juliet."

I could see his mouth twitch at my answer, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing at all. Just kind of an ironic movie, given your situation."

I frowned at him. "Fine. What's your favorite movie?"

"I haven't watched a TV in about three years." He set his lips in a thin line.

My eyes widened, "Wow. That is really good, you know. They say TV rots the brain and all that. I don't watch much myself, but I used to be really into Boy Meets World."

I saw his lips pucker as he tried to hold back a laugh, ultimately failing. "Boy Meets World? Out of all the shows to be into, and you choose that garbage?" I'm surprised he could drive straight as he was leaning over the steering wheel, laughing his head off.

"Well excuse me that I do not have your impeccable taste. I loved that show. I still watch it on reruns."

He was still laughing at me, so I tried to change the subject.

"So how long have you been a truck driver?"

His laugh immediately stopped and a cold glint came into his eyes. "About three years. My dad asked if I'd join the family business, so I agreed."

I sensed there was more to the story than he was letting on, but I decided not to push him. For now at least. "Where's your favorite place you've visited so far?"

That question evoked a smile from him. "Florida, definitely. I like the sun and the heat of it. One of these days I'm going to buy me a little cottage out by the sea and just lay out in the sun all day, fish on the weekends and drink beer like there's no tomorrow."

"That sounds like heaven." I sighed.

He looked over at me, "Why are you going to Texas if you can start over anywhere you want? Not to be rude, but if I had the chance, I'd do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted."

I bit my lip and looked out the window. He took my silence as me thinking he was rude and quickly apologized.

"Sorry, ma'am. I know it is not my business. Forget I asked."

"No, no." I did not want him to think I was upset with him. "It's not that, it's just, I don't really want to go to Texas, but I need a safe place to lay low for awhile. I want to have friends around me until I feel up to striking out on my own."

"What do you mean?" He asked, curious.

There was really no easy way to explain this.

"Jake, my ex, is for lack of a better word, spoiled. His father and the rest of his family pretty much treated him like he was some god, so when we started dating he took control of our relationship. I let him for the most part, but I tried to exert my independence as much as possible. Oh, he never physically hurt me!" I interjected, catching notice of Edward's fierce expression. "He just liked to pick where we ate, what we watched, all that stuff."

Edward cut in, "You're worried he might be upset that you've left and he can't keep tabs on you anymore?"

I closed my eyes, willing the tears to stay in. "That's part of it." I took a deep breath before continuing. "The part that has me worried is that now he's teamed up with my grandmother. Cecilla is very influential back home and she does not take kindly to me disobeying her. Her and Jake were best buddies and he never thought the way she treated me was anything less than loving. I've gotten several calls from her the last couple days saying that if I don't come home willingly, she'll force me."

This time it was Edwards's turn to snort. "That's ridiculous. She cannot force you to do anything. You're a grown woman."

I gave him a half-hearted smile. "You've apparently never met my grandmother. She could make dogs fly if she put her mind to it. Her lawyers already called me to inform me that she's petitioning to become my legal guardian."

"But- but they can't DO that! You've done nothing wrong!" He sputtered.

"I know that and she knows that, but I am not there to tell her that and that is why she's angry. She's told the court that I'm a suicide risk and if they believe her, she can force me into a hospital for treatment."

The sound of him slamming his hands down on the wheel made me jump. "The nerve of some people! She is the one that needs to be institutionalized. Let me in a room with her and I can guarantee you she won't bother you anymore."

I think he was angrier than I was about it.I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that Cecilla Murphy always gets her way.

"Is there anything you can do about it? Can't you call a lawyer and tell them your side of the story."

I pulled the few precious dollars I had left out of my pocket. "I don't think I could get a minute of a lawyers time with this money."

He glanced over the money in my fist and smirked at me. "And you were upset that I paid for your supper? How many more meals do you think you can get on that measly amount of money?"

I stuffed the money back in my pocket and glared at him. "I'm tiny, I don't much food. And besides, I was already halfway to Texas so I don't really need that much money."

"Are you forgetting that it is going to be a few extra days because of my stops? You've got close to a week of meals to get." There is that damn smile again.

"I'll just have to manage." I said, haughtily.

He just laughed and we rode the next few hours in silence.

--

I was starting to doze off when I felt the truck pull to a stop.

I rubbed my eyes, sleepily. "Are we stopping?"

"I'm starting to get a little tired. I thought we'd pull off and spend the night here, if you don't mind."

Here was an abandoned Wal-Mart in the middle of nowhere.

"Umm, are we breaking in and sleeping in the store?"

I could see the faint tint of a blush beginning around his neck, "No. I have a… bed… in the back."

I nodded nervously. "Oh. Well, goodnight then. I guess I'll see you in the morning." I leaned back against my seat and closed my eyes.

"Bella?" I opened up them back up to look at him. His expression was no longer the confident look he had earlier. I could see a trace of nervousness on him. "You can take the bed, if you'd like. I can sleep in the floor by it."

I shook my head, emphatically. "No, that's quite alright. You were nice enough to take a stranger in. I am not going to jeopardize your hospitality any more than I already have. I'm just fine here." I closed my eyes again.

"I know you can't see me right now, but I'm rolling my eyes at you." All of a sudden, I felt him grab me under my knees and around my waist, picking me up. "I don't think you understood me correctly. I didn't ask if you wanted the bed, I told you to take the bed."

I struggled against him as I tried to wiggle myself out of his arms. "If you think that you're going to sleep on your truck floor while I take the bed, you're sadly mistaken."

--

Edwards POV

Oh god, if she didn't stop wriggling against me, I was going to lose all control and there would be more than sleeping going on in this room.

I plopped her down on the bed and grabbed one of the blankets and pillows off it. She sat there glaring at me with dark eyes. I wonder if her eyes get dark only when she's angry or if they also do it when she's-

"Edward!" She said, icily. "That was not a very nice thing to do."

"I disagree, Miss Swan. I think it was a very nice thing of me to do. Most people might even say thank you to me." Her glare softened as she realized she had been the rude one to refuse my hospitality.

"Thank you." She said, softly. "How about we make a deal? I'll sleep here tonight, but you get it tomorrow night?"

I smiled at her, "Deal." See, I could compromise. And maybe the night after that, we could share the bed.

Yeah, I thought as I settled myself down into the blankets. Yeah, that would work out just fine.

--

**A/N The last part of this chapter is for theninjafrommers, who asked if I'd write an Edward POV. I know it's not really long, but I'm not good at male perspectives. In my mind, all they ever think about is one thing, so I had a tough time thinking through what his thoughts would be.**

**BIG thank you to all my reviewers and everyone that's added me to alerts! You're the best!**


	7. Chapter 7

When I woke up the next morning, Edward had obviously been up and gone for a little bit. His nightstand drawer was pulled open a little bit, so he must have gone to get dressed. When I got up to stretch, I noticed a note stuck in my seat.  
_Gone to eat, back soon. Edward_

He came back about fifteen minutes later with a bag of breakfast for me. When I opened my mouth to complain, he put on a set of headphones and set the volume as loud as it would go.

Sure it was immature of me to stick my tongue out, but he started it.

I ate my pancakes (how did he know blueberry was my favorite?) slowly, mentally making a list of conversation starters. Yesterday everything happened so quickly that I did not have time to think of what was going on. Today would be more one on one time, more get to know you sessions.

Finishing my breakfast and gathering my trash into the bag took less time than I wanted it to. I hesitantly tapped Edward on the shoulder to get his attention. He was reclining in his seat, unidentifiable music blasting around his head.

"Is there a trash can nearby for this? And a bathroom where I can go clean up?" I asked when I finally got his attention.

He pointed to the gas station across the street. "That's where I went this morning. Bathrooms are a little dirty, but not the worst I've seen."

My clothes were still in my bag so I hurriedly picked out something that was not to disgusting. I needed to do laundry like it was nobody's business, but that would have to wait until Edward stopped somewhere near a laundry mat.

Darting my way across the busy highway was not something I enjoyed. I was clumsy enough on my own in life, high traffic automobiles only made it worse. Thankfully, there was a red light up the road so it was clear for a moment. I took my chance and ran across.

The bathrooms were located outside the store on the back of the building. They did not even require a key to enter, so I knew before opening the door that they would be more seedy motel than Hilton.

Sure enough, there was a smear of blood across the mirror and something that was oddly unrecognizable floating in the toilet. I tried breathing through my mouth instead of my nose to get the smell out, but it only worked for a few seconds.

I pulled my toothbrush and toothpaste out of my bag and brushed my teeth so fast that it probably did not do any good. There happened to be paper towels in the dispenser so I grabbed a handful and spread them out on the ground below me so that my clothes would not touch the filth under my feet.

All was said and done in less than five minutes. I threw open the door and hurled myself out as quickly as possible. Pulling the bottle of perfume out of my purse, I doused myself in it, cringing at the smell I knew had to be clinging to me.

Clutching my bag to my chest, I ran across the street not noticing the cars honking at me to get out of the way.

Edward was laughing when I climbed back into the semi.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to come out and tell you how nasty they were. I knew you wouldn't go and I didn't think you would like waiting until our next stop." He looked over and started laughing all over again when he saw the look on my face. "The men's room really wasn't as bad as some I've seen. I take it the women's wasn't so lucky?"

I shuddered and pulled my perfume back out of my purse. I started to spray myself when he grabbed my wrist. "You're going to put a hole in the ozone layer if you keep that up. Let me assure you, you smell fine."

"I feel violated." I told him, shuddering again. "How can people be so disgusting?"

Releasing my grip, he leaned back in his seat. "Some people are just born trash, I guess." He set his jaw and put the truck into drive.

Realizing I once again said something wrong, I turned my head to look out the window. Several things I have said to him since we met had resulted in him closing himself off and I did not know why. Emmett never mentioned his brother having issues, but I also did not know Emmett well enough for him to spill his families little dirty secrets.

"Have you checked your phone since we left?" He asked a little while later. I turned to give him a confused look. "I mean, you told me yesterday that you was having problems with some people back home so I was just wondering how that was going. But it's none of my business." He's cute when he's flustered. Hell, he's cute when he's just sitting there.

"I turned my phone off yesterday. The only people calling me were the ones I'd like to stay behind me, so I just left it off." I dug through my purse. "You're probably right, though. I really should stay up to date on the whole deal."

My phone stated that I just had one new voicemail. My jaw dropped as I listened to the message.  
_"Isabella, this is your grandmother. I do not have the slightest clue as to why you are ignoring my calls, but it IS going to stop soon. Mr. Franklin has hired the best detective in Washington and he is currently searching for you. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either one ends the same- You are coming home and that's final young lady. Do not make the same mistake your mother did. She tried to strike out on her own and eventually she realized how stupid that was. You will too, in time."_

"Are you alright?" Edward asked. He looked angry. "What are they trying to do now?"

"There's someone looking for me." I answered, dazed. "He's going to find me and bring me home." Through all her threats, I never actually believed that she would bring me home by force. That shows me to never underestimate Cecilla Murphy.

Edwards's eyes narrowed as he took in this new information. I could see his hands tightening on the steering wheel.

"They won't find you." He finally spit out. "From now on you go by a different name in public. We will tell people you're my sister. Alice Cullen is your new name."

I laughed at him before answering. "And do you think people will really believe that? We look nothing alike and what man would take his sister along on a semi?" A snort left my nose. "A man that needs to be in jail, that's who!"

"I'm sorry that I fail to see the humor in this situation, Bella."

That made me laugh even harder. The conversation was not even really that funny, but it was easier to laugh something off than deal with it.

I finally got myself under control. "I'm sorry. It's just, do you really think that they would be able to find me? I left my truck, I don't answer anyone's calls, no one back home has ever heard of you or Emmett, there's just no way for them to discover me."

Edward looked at me, incredulously. "Bella…" He said slowly. "I'm sure Jake knew of your friend from Texas, so he's probably thought by now that you would go to the friend that lived the furthest away. All he would have to do is figure out the easiest route, check hotels and gas stations along the way, find out that someone matching your description was seen talking to Emmett. Emmett is a regular at every small town place around these parts. They call our dad who says that Emmett was not headed this direction, but that his brother was. Ergo, you are probably with me." He said all this as if he was talking to a child, which obviously he was since I never looked at it that way.

I felt my eyes grow wet when he ended his explanation. "Oh." I said, looking down at my hands. "I-I never thought about that." A traitorous tear slid down my cheek. "She really is going to find me then, isn't she? I'm going to be forced to go back there."

Edward reached over to wipe the tear off my face and then grabbed my hand. "Don't cry, Bella." He whispered softly. "You're to beautiful to shed tears." His hand squeezed mine gently. "No matter what, I'm here and that crazy bitch won't get anywhere near you. We're in this together now."

I looked up to find him staring intently out the window. He was chewing on his cheek and his jaw was set tight.

"Thank you, Edward." I tried to put as much emphasis on it as possible.

Glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, he smiled. "I should be the one thanking you, actually."

"Why is that?" I asked, confused.

"The last twenty-four hours have been more entertainment than I've had in a long time." He brought my hand to his lips and set a kiss on my knuckle before setting my hand back in my lap and letting go.

Well… This is a new development…

--

**Edward POV**

I gave myself a mental reminder to call my old lawyer, Mr. Grant later. He had done his best to help me out a few years ago and I trusted him to help again.

Bella would be upset that I called someone behind her back, but she would be even angrier when she found out that I'm paying for any of the legal fees.

Smiling, I looked over at her. She was looking out the window again, her legs crossed underneath her. I wanted to reach over and stroke her hand again, but I didn't want to upset her any more than she already was.

Her grandmother may have money to throw around and she may be used to getting what she wanted, but she was going to be out of luck this time. There was no way I was letting her take Bella.

Bella was _mine_.

--

**A/N Wow! I got a ton of alerts for last chapter! And several new reviews! Thanks so much!**

**I hope you guys like Edwards POV again. I though I might end the chapters from now on with a small section showing what he's thinking.**

**I also wanted to give an explanation here for someone. A girl left me a comment that said she did not like all the "Texas bashing" going on and I wanted to clarify that I'm doing it intentionally. Not that there is anything wrong with Texas in general, just that there is a reason for it in the story. I didn't want to make that known so soon since I was trying to gradually build up to it, but she commented anonymously so I had no way to let her know but through here.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Edward POV**

"Hello, Mr. Grant? This is Edward Cullen. I'm fine, thanks. I was just wanting to get some legal advice. No, it's not for me. It is for a friend of mine. I was just wondering how to protect her from a legal guardian. She is a legal adult, but a relative is trying to force her to move home by telling the courts she is at risk. That is what I thought as well, but apparently she's stopping at nothing to bring her home and I need to know if there's anything I can do to help. Well how would I do that?"

Bella is not going to like this one bit…

--

**Bella POV**

"Edward!" I cried as I climbed into the seat beside him. He tried to discreetly slip his cell phone back in his pocket, but I caught it anyway. Wonder what that was about…. "Guess what they had?"

He tilted his head and pretended to look interested, "Hmm?"

"Pixie sticks!" I held them up like a trophy. "I spilled one of these in Jake's car once and he told me I couldn't have them anymore. Now I can eat all I want!" The stick paused midway to my mouth. "Do you care if I eat them in your truck?"

He grabbed one out of my hand and ripped the top off. Throwing the trash into my lap, he laughed. "Eat 'em, spill 'em, whatever you want."

I watched as he threw his head back and poured the sugar in his mouth. His throat moved up and down with the movement and I had to turn away before I jerked the stick out of his mouth and replaced it with my tongue. Thankfully, he pulled out onto the highway before I lost control.

We had just refilled the truck after supper (which he insisted on paying for again) and were now looking to drive a few more hours before Edward was to tired to drive anymore. According to him, Emmett would drive until his eyes closed, but Edward liked to stop before he was drowsy.

Remind me never to ride with Emmett…

"So thanks again for supper." I told him, shyly. "I wish there was some way for me to make it up to you." As in, me in your bed.

His hands tightened on the steering wheel and I think I saw him swallow. "Just having some company is payment enough." He replied.

"You'll have to remember to give me your address when you drop me off so that I can send you a check."

Giving me a smirk, he ignored my statement.

"You know if you don't give it to me, that I'll just call Emmett and ask him, right?" I told him.

"You know that if I told Emmett you only wanted it to pay me back he'll never give it to you, right?" He answered, dryly.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I huffed loudly.

"You're cute when you're angry."

"You can sweet talk me all you want, it's not going to work."

I caught one of his half-smiles. "And what do you think you're going to do about it, Bella?" My breath hitched at the sound of him saying my name. This man was going to be the death of me.

"I have my ways." I retorted.

"You remind me of my sister, Alice. She's always trying to outsmart me and Emmett when we refuse her something. You two would probably get along great." I could tell from his tone that he was especially fond of her so I asked him to tell me about her.

"Alice is a character. She's twenty-seven and she lives in Chicago with her boyfriend. They've been together for about ten years now. Every holiday that comes around, we say that he's going to propose, but so far he hasn't. Alice says that she will not be a thirty-year old bride so he better propose soon."

I laughed with him as I remembered all the guys that I've dated that would put off the big 'M' word for as long as they could get away with it.

"Her favorite thing to do is shop. I'm not sure where she gets the money for everything because she is just a counselor at the college and Jasper is in college still working on his PhD."

I threw my hand up in the air to interrupt him. "Jasper HALE?"

He shot me a surprised look. "You know him?"

"Yes!" I answered, incredulously. "Jasper is my ex-boyfriend and Alice is the girl he dumped me for!" Was this some kind of cruel game fate was playing on me?

Edwards mouth fell open and he stared at the road without talking for a minute.

"You're Jasper's Bella." He finally whispered.

"I'm his _what_?" Oh no he didn't.

"You're the Bella that he talks about. When Alice and him got together, he mentioned that he had left someone behind. He would bring you up in random conversation all the time. Alice never acted like it bothered her, but we always thought it was a little strange. Emmett and I always figured he still held a torch for you." He gave me a once-over out of the corner of his eye. "Not that anyone would blame him if he did."

Blushing, I tried to move the subject away from me.

"I can't believe I didn't put two and two together sooner. He told me Alice's last name was Cullen, but I guess it didn't ring a bell when I met Emmett." I leaned back in my seat. "Wow. I can't believe your sister is dating my ex-boyfriend."

"Does it still bother you?" Did he sound _worried_?

I thought for a moment before I answered. "No, not anymore. It did in the beginning. Jasper and I had our whole future planned out. Where we were going to college, when we were going to get married, what we would name our children, that sort of stuff. So when he told me he had fallen in love with another girl after just meeting her, it completely broke my heart. That was why I moved away after high school. I had to start over and make a new life." My smile was forced. "I guess history does repeat itself."

Edward reached over and clasped my hand in his. "This time it won't. I promise you that. You could look at your meeting with Emmett as fate or bad luck. Either way, you're stuck with us Cullen's." He gently rubbed my knuckles with his thumb. "We take care of our own."

My mouth opened and shut a few times before I could say anything. Finally, I managed to utter a simple "Thank you".

A few minutes past before I heard a deep sigh come from the other side of the cab.

"You alright?" I asked him.

"What _were_ you going to name your kids, anyway?"

I snorted and he looked at me, confused.

"Well, Jasper said we were going to have two boys, no girls, just the two boys. The oldest was going to be Grant Ulysses Hale and the other would be Robert Lee Hale."

Edward's mouth twitched and he turned his head away.

I rolled my eyes, "It's alright to laugh, everyone else thought it was funny, too."

His shoulders started shaking as he shook his head, "I'm sorry. It's just to funny not to laugh. Jasper needs to go to Civil War Buffs Anonymous or something."

"Yeah, he used to drive me crazy over it. We had to visit every war memorial within a ten-hour distance. Do you know how embarrassing it is to be asked to hang out with your friends only to have to tell them that you're going to see where the great war general blah blah blah was killed? I lost many friends in the time I was with him. I feel sorry for Alice if he's still that obsessed."

"Oh yeah, he's still obsessed, but Alice put a stop to the visits. She told him that for every memorial they visited, he owed her a shopping trip. That quickly ended his asking. Now he just takes my dad when he wants to go. Dad's into all that history stuff, too."

I smiled, "Well that's good then. Jasper isn't a boring guy, he just has boring interests."

"That's a backwards way of putting it. It's kind of like you telling me I have pretty eyes and an ugly face."

I smacked him lightly in the shoulder, "You have a gorgeous face and you know it, Mr. Sarcasm."

"So you think I'm gorgeous, eh?" There was another half-smile.

I turned my head away and pretended not to hear.

Edward coughed, "So are you starting to get tired at all?"

"I'm fine, but if you're ready to stop, I could fall asleep on a rock. Actually, I have fallen asleep on a rock before. Makes for great conversation starters."

He grinned, "I'll take that as an insult that you think my bed feels like a rock."

"Ha ha. No, your bed was pretty comfortable. Do you have one of those foam things on it?"

"Yeah, Alice put in on. She's always trying to emasculate me."

"That's not emasculating. Everyone should have a soft bed." I said. "You'll appreciate it tonight when you crawl in it and fall right asleep."

He gave me a condescending glare, "You mean while you try to make yourself comfortable on the floor?"

"Hey there, we made a deal. You promised to fallow through on your side."

Edward waved me off, "Alright, alright. We're going to have to think of a new compromise tomorrow because if I stay up all night worrying about you being uncomfortable on the floor, you will be in the bed."

"It's sweet that you think you have to be all gentlemanly to me." I said, with a sarcastic tone. "To bad for you that I'm perfectly content being in the floor. Just try not to step on me when you get up in the morning. Then I might be upset."

"I'll do my best." He promised.

We drove on for a couple more hours until I caught him trying to stifle a yawn.

"Are you ready to pull over, Edward? I'm starting to get a little sleepy, too."

He shot me a grateful look, "Yeah, I just wanted to wait until you were tired. I try to sleep longer than other people since I have to be alert all day. I don't want you to have to go to sleep just because I am."

I stood up and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I have books with me if I can't sleep. I'll just go in the back and change real quick if you don't mind."

He waved me away. "I'll look for somewhere to park."

After pulling on a new t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants, I pulled the extra blanket and pillow that Edward used last night onto the floor with me.

By the time I had my pallet made up, he had parked and was coming into the back with me.

"Step on me and I bite you." I threatened, playfully as he closed the curtains to keep the moonlight out.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." He replied, throwing me a smirk.

I blushed and turned away.

"Goodnight, Bella. Sweet dreams."

I turned over to tell him goodnight only to see him climbing into bed with no shirt on. The light from the lamp threw shadows over all the ridges and contours of his chest. He caught me staring and smiled devilishly at me.

My eyes widened and I quickly turned over and mumbled a hurried good-night at him.

How was I supposed to sleep with that image in my head?

--

**Edward POV**

I stayed awake long after Bella had fallen asleep only to watch the cover over her rise and fall with her breathing. She had fallen asleep with a lock of hair plastered over her face. Gently, I reached over and brushed it away.

"Edward?" She mumbled.

Thinking she was awake, I asked what was wrong.

She whimpered and mumbled something incoherent. I realized she was still asleep and wondered if she could hold conversations while unconscious.

"Do you need something, Bella?" I asked.

"Stay." She replied.

"I'm not leaving you." I told her, truthfully.

"Don't let them take me." Her breaths started coming rapidly. "Edward!" She yelled.

I jumped out of the bed and leaned over her. "Shhh. It's okay. You're safe."

She started thrashing on the floor so I picked her up in my arms and held her close to my chest trying to shush her. "I've got you, Bella. I've got you."

Sighing, she wrapped her arms around my neck and burrowed her head into my neck. I wasn't sure what to do with her. If I put her back down the floor I was afraid she would start screaming again, but I didn't want her to wake up and be uncomfortable if she woke up in the bed next to me.

Deciding I would rather her be angry at me than scared, I laid her down softly on the bed. I pulled the covers up over her neck and knelt down to kiss her on her forehead. A slight smile crossed her face as she rolled over and fell back into a dreamless sleep.

Chuckling to myself, I laid down on the floor and tried to make myself comfortable. Sure my bed was softer, but knowing that Bella had just slept here made the floor a little more inviting.

I fell asleep breathing in her scent on my pillow.

--

**A/N Woot! Two updates in less than a week! See, I can work with you. You asked for quicker updates, I gave you quicker updates. You asked for longer chapters, I think I made it a smidge longer than usual. You ask for more Edward, I give you TWO of his POV's.  
**

**I can't believe only ONE person commented that Edward sounded a little stalkery at the end of last chapter! I almost left the last sentence out because I thought it sounded a little creepy, but at the last minute, added it back. A bunch of you said you liked it! LOL. To each their own.**

**Thanks SO much for all the reviews and/or alerts last chapter. Reviews are love to me. I hold off on checking my email for as long as possible so they build up and when I get on I love seeing that I have 30 or more new emails after just a few hours! You all make my day!**


	9. Story Hiatus

I just wanted to let everyone know that my stories are all on hiatus until further notice. Someone I cared for and loved immensely died yesterday and I don't really feel like writing for the moment.

I'm sorry, I know some of you were really getting into my stories, but I don't want to force myself to write something and then you all get half-assed chapters.

Thank you for being patient with me, I promise I will finish them, but I need some time to feel sorry for myself.

Shelbie


	10. Chapter 9

**:O A new chapter! And it only took a YEAR! I am probably the worst author ever. I really am sorry. I promised everyone I would never abandon a story and I meant it. Even if it takes me forever, I WILL finish all my stories. I bet everyone on this alert list has to go back and re-read the whole story. They're probably all like, whaaaa??? What the heck is this story? LOL. I'm sorry this is another short chapter, but better than nothing, eh? :)**

* * *

A horn outside jerked me out of my deep sleep the next morning. I quietly rolled over expecting to have a few minutes of peace so that I could look at Edward sleeping but when I opened my eyes, instead of seeing the bottom of the bed, I saw the wall. _Odd_, I murmured to myself. I sat up and looked around, realizing I was on the bed as opposed to the floor where I thought I would be.

I narrowed my eyes at Edward, who slept soundly on MY blanket.

A swift pillow to the head should rectify that problem.

"Ughf." He grunted. He sat up rubbing his head, "What was that for?"

"Why are you in the floor?" I demanded.

He lowered his eyes with a guilty expression. "You looked uncomfortable."

"I could sleep soundly on a rock, Edward. Why do you insist on being so damn chivalrous?"

"Because I'm a nice guy." He replied, anger shooting through his words. "And that's how my mother raised me."

I bit my lip in shame as he stood up and left me in the back of the truck alone. I heard the door slam as he left.

"Stupid, stupid girl." I mumbled, changing into new clothes for the day.

I really didn't want to be so rude to Edward, god knows if it wasn't for him I would still be sitting in that crappy hotel room all alone and with no hope. What Jake did to me was just to fresh to get over so quickly.

No matter how attractive and charming other men could be.

After changing clothes and slipping on shoes and a coat, I followed Edward out. There was a diner across the street that I assumed he had went to.

Sure enough, after I entered I saw him sitting in the far back booth with his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry Edward." I said softly, sliding in across from him. His eyes peeked at me through his fingers. "I'm really not as big of a bitch as I have been acting to you." He opened his mouth to reply, but I held my hand up to stop him. "It's just that Jacob was sweet and considerate when I first met him and only later did he turn into the raging, cheating, horny beast I left behind. And I thought all men must be that way, hell even my own father was like that. But then I met Emmett, who was so nice to me and wanted to do whatever he could to help me." I paused, looking down at my hands on the table. "And then there was you."

"Bella." His voice was scratchy.

"Bella, look at me."  
I raised my eyes to meet his. He smiled and covered my hand with his.

"There's nothing to explain. I get it. There's some stuff from my past that," He swallowed. "mirrors yours, so I just… get it. I apologize for the way I acted this morning." He gave me one of his inside-melting half smiles. "You are jus the most infuriating, _stubborn_-"

"Hi and welcome to Patty's Southern Diner." The annoyingly chirpy waitress said, interrupting him. "What can I get ya'all?"

I quickly pulled my hand out from underneath Edwards, "I'll just have a coffee, thanks."

"I'll have the same." Edward said, giving the menu a quick glance. "And two orders of pancakes." He smiled and handed her the menu back.

I narrowed my eyes at him.  
"Don't even start with me." He retorted. "Besides, you owe me after being so rude this morning."

I rolled my eyes, knowing he wasn't really angry. "I guess I am a little hungry." I admitted.

His jaw dropped, "What? She admits that she needs something? Wait a second, feel my pulse. Am I dead?" He smirked, shoving his wrist in my face.

"Bite me, Eddie." I laughed, slapping his hand away.

"Don't tempt me." He replied seriously.

Before I could answer, the waitress was back with our coffee's. "Here you two are, food should be out in about five."

We thanked her and drank our coffees in awkward silence for a few minutes.

"So…" I started, wanting to get the conversation going again. "Where are we headed today?"

"I need to make a stop in Missouri this afternoon. Probably take about two or three hours, then off to Kansas."

I nodded, one side of me glad for more time with him, but another part wanting to get as far away as possible for my own sanity.

"And here's your breakfast!. If there's anything else you two need, just let me know! If not, have a GREAT day!" The waitress asked, saving me from making more uncomfortable conversation.

Edward tried, unsuccessfully, to muffle a laugh with a cough.

"She's annoyingly chipper, isn't she?" He smiled reassuringly at me. I knew he was only trying to steer the topic back toward neutral territory after his slip-up.

The rest of breakfast was back to normal for us. I made fun of his bird-like eating tendencies and he jokingly compared my eating habits to that of Emmett. That comment earned him a piece of pancake to the head.

After breakfast, a fill-up and a teeth-brushing stop, we were finally back on the road.

"So have you checked your phone lately?"

"Mmm, nope. I have been keeping it turned off so that I don't get a tension headache." I sighed and rummaged through my purse. Surprisingly, there were no new texts.

"Nothing." I told Edward.

His eyes narrowed at me, "Nothing is a bad sign. It means they've stopped trying to convince you to come back."  
"How is that bad?" I asked, confused. I would think that the lack of phone calls was a good thing. Less for me to worry about.

"Because Bella," he replied, exasperatedly, "If they no longer believe they can convince you to come back on your own free will, that means they are moving to forcing you back."

"Oh." That was definitely not a good thought. My hands clenched together in my lap.

"Hey," Edward said, softly. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you." I nodded, still not able to look at him. "Have I ever lied to you?"

That made me laugh. "Well, technically no, but I really haven't known you all that long either."

Edward was quiet so I glanced at him. His jaw was clenched and his hands were tight on the steering wheel.

I laid my hand on his arm, "Something wrong?"

"Are you really worried that your grandmother and Jacob will drag you back no matter what?" He asked.

"My grandmother has never lost a battle since my mother ran away. This fight is more about her pride at having the perfect family than it is about me. She cares nothing about me. So yes, I believe wholeheartedly that if she finds me, she will take me back." I stated, matter-of-factly. I was realistic.

There was a moment of silence before he said anything.

"What if I told you there was a way out?" He finally looked at me. "A loophole in her plan?"

"I would do whatever I had to just to get away from them." I answered with no hesitation.

"Anything?" He gave me one of his soul-melting half smiles.

I frowned, "What is this plan, Edward? Are you going to have me skip the country or something?"

Shocking me out of my boots, he reached over and grabbed my hand in his. His hand was warm even though it was the dead of winter outside. I looked down at out entwined fingers and swallowed. This man was going to be the death of me.

I felt the truck stop and saw we were parked in a gas station lot. Edward put the car in park and turned to face me, never letting go of my hand.

"Do you trust me?" He whispered, leaning towards me.

Widened eyes was my response. "I-I don't… What are you…" I shut my guppy mouth. "Of course I trust you."

Edward grinned.

"Marry me."

* * *

**Oh no I didn't! It really is just a coincidence that I ended this chapter the same way as the movie. I really have been moving towards this since the beginning of the story, it was always planned.**

**Once again, I am so sorry about the wait. I make no promises on when it will be updated again since I have to force myself to write on all of these stories I have.**

**Every time I start to read over my previous chapters, I remember why I stopped writing in the first place and I sink into that black hole all over again. A hole that is so incredibly painful to pull myself out of that I try to stay away from it.  
**

**I find it humorous that I finally update just a few days away from when I stopped last year.**

**His birthday was two days ago.**

**I still live in that black hole. There is no escaping.  
**


	11. Chapter 10

**Does anyone else ever re-read their stories and are like, "Man, this shit SUCKS!" That's kinda how I feel about my stories I have up. I go so long without updating that I forget little essential pieces of the storyline and then I feel stupid later on. Like I forgot I had made this only a few days before Xmas, but it's been a few days story wise and no one's even mentioned Xmas? Crud monkeys I'm dumb! So if you notice any other little idiot mistakes, just say "Shelbie you're a dumbass, fix these!"**

**So it's not been a year this time since the last update! Yay me! I have another Twilight story that I have been working on in my free time that is already about three times as long as this. So hopefully I can finish this one sometime in the next decade and get that one posted. This one has to many bad memories for me, so it's just extremely hard for me to write on…**

**Anyways, sorry for the lack of update and sorry for how short this is, but better than nothing, right? :D**

_Previously:_**  
**

_"Do you trust me?" He whispered, leaning towards me._

_Widened eyes was my response. "I-I don't… What are you…" I shut my guppy mouth. "Of course I trust you."_

_Edward grinned._

_"Marry me."_

"What the _fuck_ are you doing?" I shrieked, pulling away from him. "Are you some sort of psychopath? Are you on drugs?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "Did you slip something into my coffee?"

"What?" His eyes widened. "No! Of course not! It was just a question!"

"How's the weather is just a question. Where did you get your hat is just a question. Marry me is NOT a question you ask someone you have known for less days than you have fingers!"

Edward grabbed my hands in mid-gesture, "Bella would you just listen to me? I asked because it's the only way to get you out of going back. I'm just trying to help?"

"What do you mean?" my tone was suspicious.

"You're afraid your grandmother is going to tell the courts that you're incompetent and become your legal guardian, right?"

I nodded.

"Well what if you already have a guardian? Or not really a guardian, per se, but the next person who would be in line to take care of you."

My mind was starting to catch on to what Edward was saying, "You mean that if I get married, she won't be able to convince the courts I need taking care of?"

He sighed, glad that I had seen his reasoning, "Exactly."

I was still suspicious, "What made you think of this? Why are you offering? What's in it for you?"

He paused, "Our family lawyer suggested it as an option. I called him and asked his advice on ways to help you."

"And the other questions?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I can't really explain to you why I'm offering or what's in it for me. Not right now at least. Just trust that I don't want or expect anything from you. My main goal is to just keep you away from those awful people."

"But what would your family say? Emmett would kill you."

He laughed, "Emmett would filet me alive if he knew this option was there and I _didn't_ offer it to you. If he wasn't already married, he probably would have offered first."

"But… But, why?" I was genuinely confused. "I understand that you want to help. I get that you're a good guy with a good heart. But there's no way in hell I would offer to marry a complete stranger just to be a nice guy."

"Well that's where we're different, Miss Swan. I must just have a bigger heart than you." He grinned cheekily at me so that I'd know he was kidding.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say, Edward."

"Just think about it, okay? We're still a couple days ahead of them, so you still have time to decide. Just know that my question was completely serious and I won't change my mind." He laid his hand on mine. "Okay?"

I gave him a small smile. "Yeah."

He nodded and put the truck back in gear. We bumped and jostled our way back out to the highway in silence.

"Are you hungry for lunch yet?" Edward asked me a few hours later. I had engrossed myself in a book and hadn't come up for air since our conversation this morning.

"Mmm… What time is it?" I asked, stretching.

"Almost 12:30. I need to get out and stretch my legs a little and use the bathroom. I thought you might be getting a little hungry, too."

"I could eat." I agreed. My stomach growled as if on cue and Edward chuckled.

"I see your stomach concurs. There's got to be a cheap truck stop diner coming up shortly. I'll just pull over into the next one."

We got out less than ten minutes later. The air was bitingly cold, but it was a welcome relief after being shut up in the truck for the last few hours.

"Where are we?" I asked, following him into the restaurant.

"About twenty minutes outside of St. Louis. I have a delivery and pick-up there that will take about two hours. Figured we better eat while we have the time." He smiled at the waitress as she gave us a menu and motioned to a booth in the back.

"Have you ever been here before?" I asked, hoping to keep the conversation going. We had sat so long in silence that I needed some interaction.

"Not to this particular truck stop, no. But I bet Emmett has." He laughed at something behind my head. I turned around and immediately knew what was so funny.

There was a sign on the wall that read, "Eat free if you can survive our hamburger challenge." Next to it was a picture of all the 'survivors'. There was around 12 and sure enough, one smiling face covered in ketchup was familiar.

"Poor Emmett." I said, shaking my head, trying to stifle the laughter. "Always gets made fun of."

"Nah." He replied. "We all have our little oddities. His just happens to be the easiest to tease over." The waitress returned and he quickly glanced over his menu. "A cup of coffee and the chicken sandwich please."

"I'll have the same." I said, handing her back the menu. "Oh and what is the hamburger challenge?"

I ignored Edward's snort.

"You have to eat the five pounder and fries." She answered, quickly giving our slim bodies a once over. "It's not for the smallun's honey."

"So what does your family tease you about?" I asked, changing the subject back.

He rolled his eyes. "Besides the bird eating? Mainly my attitude. They say I'm to emotional. Just because I'm not happy go lucky and lalala, rainbows are bursting out of my behind, means that I'm moody."

"What about Alice?" I asked, laughing.

"Oh man, she's the one that needs the sit down talking to that I get every time I come home. She had to declare bankruptcy about two years ago for over-spending on her Discover Card."

"Jasper must have his hands full with her."

"We all do, trust me." He replied, dryly.

My hands clenched on my seat, "You sure are pushing the trust today, aren't you Edward?"

With that I could feel the mood shift from playful to serious.

"Have you thought any more about this morning?" He asked, leaning towards me.

The question had me biting my lip. I _hadn't _thought about it. That was the reason I was so heavily engrossed in my book. To keep the thoughts at bay.

"Will you tell me what you're thinking?" His voice was gentle.

"I think-" I started, but was cut off by the waitress delivering our food. He waited patiently until she had gone before raising an eyebrow at me.

"I think maybe we should wait and talk about this when we're alone." I answered.

He pursed his lips, but nodded.

After lunch he needed to go across the street to fill up while I meandered around the inside of the gas station, picking up a few snacks to tide us over on the truck. A postcard with a picture of a hamburger on the front proclaiming, "I survived the hamburger challenge!" made me laugh, so I grabbed it to send to Emmett.

"What all did you get?" He was so close I could feel his breath on my shoulder and I had to squash a shudder.

I turned around to him and backed up a couple steps. "Just some odds and ends." I held the postcard up. "And this. Want to send it to Emmett?"  
He read it and laughed, "Sure, that would make his day." He motioned towards the truck. "She's all filled up. Are you ready?"

I nodded, laying my items on the counter. As I was reaching for my purse, he quickly handed the cashier his credit card. "I also have gas on pump four."

"Edward, I was going to-" I started.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I just got there first." He turned and gave me a tilting smile, stopping my annoyance.

When we got back in the truck, he turned the heat on and moved towards the sleeper area.

"Are you tired?" I asked, worriedly.

He shook his head, "You said we'd talk when we got back out and now here we are." He sat down on the bed and patted the spot beside him.

When I hesitated, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him. "Sit, I already told you I don't bite." He flashed his teeth at me. "At least not unless you ask nicely first."

I turned my head away and he stiffened.

"I was only joking, Bella."  
"Were you? Really? Or did you ask me to marry you because of… _that_." I mumbled, embarrassed.

"Oh sweet Bella. Is that why you've been so quiet and worried today?" When I didn't answer, he grabbed my chin and turned me gently towards him. "You know that's not what I'm after, right? I told you this morning I really honestly want to help you. No one deserves what you're going through right now and anything I can do to help, I will."

I bit the inside of my cheek, not knowing what to say.

"Besides," He went on, sliding his hand to my neck, "If I just wanted someone to sleep with, do you really think I'd go through all the trouble of marrying them first?"

I gave him a little smile, "I would hope not."

He brought his face closer to mine, "You have to know that I'm not the dog your ex-boyfriend is. I won't hurt you. You said this morning that you trusted me." His breath was warm and he smelled like Doublemint gum. "Have I done anything to make you lose it or do you still trust me?"

My body was moving towards his of it's own accord. AsI tilted my face up towards his, I saw that his eyes were half closed.

"Edward?" I breathed, not knowing what was happening, not sure if I was ready for it.

"Will you marry me?" He asked again. This time I knew the question was serious. I knew it needed a serious answer.

"Yes."

**Once again, I really am SOOO sorry it takes me so long to update! I really do love writing fanfic and do it every spare moment I have, I just never put it up. The stories I do have up just kill me to write on for some reason... From now on I'm finishing anything before I publish it so that you all don't have to wait such a long time for updates!**

**Thank you for everyone that has been sticking with me! I still get notifications on this which astounds me!**

**xoxo Shelbie**


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